How to free up space on the Mac? See ten tips

Apple computers, especially MacBooks with low-capacity SSDs, can issue storage alerts after a certain amount of time. With full memory, the user may experience problems installing new applications and even using some functions, such as editing images and videos. Although macOS is known for efficient memory management, storage still needs special attention from the user. Here are 10 tips to remove useless Mac files and free up space.

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Check out how to free up space on your Mac and gain more memory

1. Use an electronic junk cleaner

Most popular on Windows PCs, junk cleaners can also be useful on the Mac. Use programs like CleanMyMac to get rid of temporary files, junk from iTunes, useless thumbnails, and idle applications. The program is paid to remove all wastes automatically, but the free version already features features that help at least identify what is taking up more SSD or HD space.

CleanMyMac Identifies and Removes Junk E-mail on the Mac

2. Clean temporary files

Temporary Internet files can take up a lot of storage space, especially if the owner does not routinely clean up Macs for long periods of time. CCleaner is a lightweight tool that can be installed without taking up too much space to delete history, cookies and images automatically downloaded by Safari and other browsers on visits to web sites. The program also cleans files such as lists of recent apps and documents, as well as system logs.

3. Remove duplicate files

If your biggest problem is the existence of copied files, such as images, videos, and duplicate shortcuts, Gemini 2 is a utility that can help. The program does a scan on the Mac to find all files with more than one instance taking up space on the computer and offers a button for quick cleaning. The software works especially on similar photos taken by the cell phone and transferred to the computer.

Gemini removes copies of files to free up space on Mac

4. Delete e-mail attachments

The Mail app stores all incoming attachments on the SSD or HD from Mac even though they can be retrieved after the server. If you often receive heavy emails and can resume the download later, attachments can be removed to free up space on your computer when the store is down. Locate the files in the "Users> User> Library> Mail" directory. You can still configure Mail to not download attachments automatically and avoid the task in the future.

5. Uninstall applications

If you do not have many applications installed, manual removal directly from the Finder might be agile enough to get rid of little-used programs. On the Mac, just right-click (or use the secondary trackpad click) on the item to delete. You can also uninstall just by dragging the shortcut directly to the icon to the recycle bin.

Remove applications manually to free up memory on Mac

6. Find large files

Disk Inventory X is a program that helps you get an overview of files that take up memory space. With a clear graphical interface, the utility displays shapes that represent the size of each large stored file. With a few clicks, you can identify what is heavier and quickly exclude it.

Disk Inventory X indicates the size and type of files on the Mac's hard disk

7. Delete the Apple Music cache

Music already played on Apple Music for Mac is stored on the computer and can be removed to free up memory. You must manually access the folder where the streaming program saves the data to safely remove everything.

Clear Apple Music cache to recover storage

8. Delete dictation files

The macOS dictation function keeps a large amount of files on the computer even if the user does not use the feature. If you do not use dictations, you can remove related files to free up valuable memory space without interfering with the daily use experience.

Remove unused dictation files

9. Empty the trash

When removing any type of file, such as apps, browser cookies, or any other junk, be sure to empty the trash to remove files from your Mac's memory. The computer will only show the space gained on the SSD or HD when the recycle bin is clear of deleted items.

Empty the trash to get rid of useless deleted files

10. Use macOS Sierra Storage Tools

Younger Macs, upgraded to MacOS Sierra, High Sierra or higher versions, can still use advanced native storage cleaning features. On the "About This Mac" menu storage screen, the system automatically uploads documents, photos and videos to iCloud, cleans purchased and already consumed iTunes content, and automatically removes files older than 30 days in the bin .

Use macOS storage tools

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